Friday, May 20, 2005

Kosumi says Kosovo will be completely different next year

PRISTINA, May 20 (Hina) - Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi told Belgrade-based news agency Beta on Friday he was confident that in a year's time Kosovo would be completely different than today thanks to the engagement of the international community.

For six years Kosovo politicians have been dealing with Belgrade much more than with Kosovo Serbs, Kosumi said. "I do not believe that little has been done for local Serbs," he said, adding that great progress had been made in that regard.

He said that in personal contacts with Kosovo Serbs he had gained the impression that their vision of Kosovo was different from how Serbian politicians perceived Kosovo.

Kosumi said he was ready to meet Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica in Pristina or Belgrade or some third country and that the time, place and topics of the meeting should be arranged by their associates.

The Serbian government on Thursday stated that the Kosovo Prime Minister's condition for the meeting, namely that he be treated as the prime minister of a neighbouring country, "are unrealistic".